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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195772">Finery and Flattery</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_marimba/pseuds/midnight_marimba'>midnight_marimba</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Quest XI</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Act 3 spoilers, Assorted Pronouns, Bad Limericks, Canon-Compliant, DQXI Rarepair Jam, Fluff, Nonbinary!Sylv, Other, Sylv wears a dress, THERE’S ONLY ONE BED, brief appearance from other party members, genderfluid!sylv, pan!Serena, pan!Sylvando</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:28:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,885</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_marimba/pseuds/midnight_marimba</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When the team comes into a lot of money and everyone splits up to take a vacation day of their choice, Sylvando accompanies Serena to Heliodor, and they begin at the dress shop.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sena | Serena/Sylvia | Sylvando</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Finery and Flattery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There are significant late-game spoilers here.  Beware!</p>
<p>This is a one-shot and not connected to any of my other works.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can’t believe we found so much money we can’t even carry it all,” Erik said.  “We literally can afford anything on Erdrea with that windfall.  We can walk into anywhere that has the best possible gear for all of us, buy the whole stock, and keep going on to the, the mansion salesman.”</p>
<p>“The mansion salesman?” Veronica asked, smirking.  Serena smiled, no longer worried these days that Veronica was going to offend Erik with her sarcasm.</p>
<p>“Whatever, how am I supposed to know how you buy a mansion?  But we can hire a guy to tell us how, and then we buy whatever he shows us.”</p>
<p>“I don’t know if we should quite be buying mansions right now,” said Jade.  “Let’s wait until we’ve got everything sorted out and we know we aren’t going to need to spend a fortune on the One True Artifact of Evil Slaying, and we’ll figure out how we want to enjoy our ill-gotten gains later.”</p>
<p>“It’s good to keep a bit of a treasury set aside, aye, but it wouldnae hurt to spend just a wee bit now, eh?” said Rab.</p>
<p>“We could do with a little vacation day, no?” suggested Sylvando.  “We’ve been working hard, and everyone needs a break once in a while.”</p>
<p>“I could check in at the castle in Heliodor,” said Hendrik.  “I should make sure all is running smoothly in my absence.”</p>
<p>“Hendrik, no.  That’s not a vacation.  That’s work,” said Jade.  “If we’re doing this, you’ve got to come relax, too.  Maybe the beach.  How about Lonalulu?  I think that’s my favorite ocean view.”</p>
<p>Jade coercing Hendrik into relaxing in her company made Serena smile, too, albeit a tiny bit wistfully.  She’d overheard Jade and Sylvando talking one evening about how attractive Hendrik was, and in the process, they crushed both of Serena’s, well, crushes, that she’d been developing for both of them.  Hard for someone like her to compete in the arena of mature, manly musclemen.</p>
<p>“I’d pick a tourist destination where folks are expected to relax.  Puerto Valor, maybe,” said Rab.</p>
<p>Jade made a face.  “That creepy old man will be on the beach.  Maybe we could split up?  El, how do you feel about dropping us off in different places, and you could pick us up the next day?”</p>
<p>“If we’re doing that, I’d really like to visit Sniflheim and see if Krystalinda has some time to talk.  She promised to show me some things if I came back on my own,” said Veronica, with a quick glance at Serena.</p>
<p>Serena blinked, taken off guard by the notion that Veronica wanted to go somewhere without her.  She cast about for an idea of her own so she wouldn’t seem disappointed.  “I wouldn’t mind a chance to go shopping in a big city.  I’ve always thought there must be some nice shops in Heliodor, given the clothes I see people wearing there.”</p>
<p>Veronica nodded in satisfaction and looked away before Serena dropped her smile and let herself worry about the fact that she had no idea what the shops were like in Heliodor.  She knew she’d spent far too much on prior purchases in Gallopolis and Gondolia in particular, where she learned after the fact that shoppers were expected to haggle, and then she’d offended a merchant in Octagonia, where either she wasn’t actually supposed to attempt to haggle, or she’d done it very poorly.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t mind a little shopping spree, myself,” said Sylvando, and she found him looking at her.  “Would you mind if I join you, Serena?”</p>
<p>“Oh, sure, Sylv,” she said, her apprehension taking a sharp turn into optimism.  Sylvando would know the proper customs, and even if he didn’t, he would charm his way out of any awkwardness and leave everyone around him smiling.</p>
<p>Besides, she deeply enjoyed his company in any case.  Just watching him from a distance was a pleasure, with his lively gestures, his expressive face, and his kindness toward everyone he met, but she found that when he turned his full attention on her, it left her feeling warm for hours afterwards, like a generous helping of spiced wine without the downsides.</p>
<p>But she was certainly over her crush on him.  She was a grown woman, a professional adventurer, fully capable of treating a colleague with simple respect.  This was friendship, nothing more.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Their Luminary handed over a pair of heavy purses, and he smiled and waved before casting another teleportation spell to abandon the two of them at the gates of Heliodor.</p>
<p>“Well!  How exciting!” said Sylvando.  “A shopping day in the big city!  What would you like to look for first?”</p>
<p>“Well…”  Serena looked down at herself, and the serviceable but rather plain clothing she’d sewn herself in Arboria.  She looked up at a passing carriage where a woman sat with the window open to show off a glimpse of a rich red outfit with ruffles and lace and jewelry and a hairstyle that made her head three times as large as it should have been.  Serena bit her lip.</p>
<p>“Maybe something fun to wear?” Sylvando suggested.</p>
<p>“Ah…” Serena hesitated, then shook her head.  “I was thinking that, but now that I’m here, I don’t know.  I think I’d end up buying something out of fashion and just looking ridiculous.”</p>
<p>“Honey, nothing is out of fashion if you keep your chin up and wear it with confidence.  If anyone challenges you, you can just give them a little smile and a wink and they’ll go home wondering if they missed the joke.”</p>
<p>“Sylv…”  Serena took a moment to look at him with a smile, feeling the warming effect of his presence already.</p>
<p>“Yes?”</p>
<p>“I’ll think about it.  I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look, anyway.”</p>
<p>“That is the first step.”</p>
<p>“All right.  Any idea where we should look?”</p>
<p>“Well, the main mercantile district is this way, but for the fanciest dresses, we’ll want to head to the area closer to where the nobles live.”</p>
<p>They passed a number of shop fronts where the dresses in the window looked elegant and respectable, and Serena gave those a considering look, but Sylvando led her onwards.  “Hmm,” he said a couple streets later, and he drifted over to peer into an upscale shop on a particularly neat and tidy looking street.</p>
<p>The window showed an incredible dress in contrasting shades of blue, with scalloped layers, ruffles, wide bell-shaped sleeves, lace trim, and a beaded bodice.  The mannequin wore a matching wide-brimmed hat with massive feathers stuck in the band.  Serena let out a soft hum of appreciation.</p>
<p>“Is that the one, already?” Sylvando asked.</p>
<p>“What?  For me?  Oh, dear.”  Serena wrinkled her brow.  “I don’t know.  I don’t think I can do it.”</p>
<p>“Why do you say that?”</p>
<p>“I just, I don’t think I know how to wear something like that.  It’s gorgeous, but it’s ridiculous.  Look, the sleeves will drag in everything and the skirts will catch every bush you walk past.”</p>
<p>“Are you thinking of spending the rest of the day working with your hands and walking in the wilderness?”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe not, but I just…”  Serena sighed.  “I’m making excuses, but what it comes down to is that I don’t think I have the courage to just wear that in public by myself.”</p>
<p>Of course she’d worn every fine thing their Luminary crafted for her, but she hadn’t relied completely on her own taste in apparel since leaving Arboria, if ever, and much as she loved the look of the dress, it was so extravagant that she had trouble picturing herself wearing it.  What if she put it on incorrectly?  What if it wasn’t intended for anyone to actually wear?  What if there was some subtle meaning to it that she didn’t know about?</p>
<p>“What if you weren’t wearing it by yourself?”</p>
<p>“What?” she asked, wondering if she’d missed something.</p>
<p>“Maybe we should both buy fancy new dresses and wear them together.”</p>
<p>Serena blinked at him, and she opened her mouth to tell him he didn’t have to do that on her account, but he was watching her out of the corner of his eye, the way he sometimes looked at people when he was testing them, when he didn’t want to admit outright whether or not he was serious, and she paused.  Thought about the times she’d noticed his attention lingering over a bit of jewelry, or when he’d turn up at breakfast with flowers for all of the ladies in the group and one for himself, too, which he’d tuck behind an ear and wear until he lost it in the heat of battle.</p>
<p>“Is that really how you’d like to spend your whole day?” she asked instead.  “Wearing around ridiculous, gorgeous dresses and acting like we’re fancy enough to suit them?”</p>
<p>Sylvando studied the dress in the window for a moment longer, then nodded.  “I’m game, if you are.”</p>
<p>The wistful expression on his face tipped her into sudden enthusiasm.  “All right.  Let’s do it.”</p>
<p>He glanced at her, and a smile bloomed on his face, and he opened the door for her with a flourish.</p>
<p>The shopkeeper gave Sylvando a bland look when he asked to try on a dress, but the woman’s eyes drifted down to the purse on his belt, and she nodded agreeably.</p>
<p>They took turns in the little dressing room trying on different options.  There were only three that were large enough to fit Sylvando at all, and Serena watched avidly every time he stepped out to model a new one.</p>
<p>“I suppose I’ll have to pad any of these,” he said, pursing his lips as he glanced down at his chest where the fabric hung loose.  “But I do like the back on this one!”  He held out his arms and turned, and Serena studied the way the fabric hugged his waist, flared over his hips, draped from his wrists, revealed a hint of his shoulderblades.</p>
<p>He refused to show himself at all wearing the second dress, but he made a sigh of satisfaction at the third, and he came out with a twirl.  It was a style designed to minimize the bust, so that it hung properly from his frame after all, and it was a rich, deep green with beaded accents, and the broad skirt hung loose and swung with his movements.  Serena looked up into his face, and she read the delight written there, and there was that warm feeling again, stronger than ever.  “That’s a good color on you,” she offered, hoping to draw out the duration of his smile.  “It makes your eyes look greener than I’ve ever seen them.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, darling,” he said, his smile broadening a little further and making it impossible to look away from him until he turned his attention to the remaining dresses in Serena’s pile.</p>
<p>For her own part, Serena found the selection rather overwhelming, but she finally gathered the courage to try the blue one from the window display.  It turned out to actually fit her, and Sylvando lavishly praised its enhancement of her beauty until she suspected her face was red enough to clash, but the only sign that he noticed was a rather smug smile, and she shook her head at him with a smile of her own.  “All right.  This one.”</p>
<p>“Very good.  Anything else?  Perhaps some nightwear for comfort and beauty,” the shopkeeper suggested.  “If you’d like to visit the back room.”</p>
<p>Serena nearly declined, thinking of her serviceable nightgown, and the fact that no one was going to be looking at her sleepwear anyway.  Then she realized that first of all, she’d left behind every other garment she owned when they stashed their extra belongings at the hidden campsite they used for storage, and second of all, Sylvando was making a face with an odd sort of smile, one where he might be biting his lip to try to keep a straight face and failing.  So she agreed.</p>
<p>She almost immediately regretted it when she learned that the nightgowns on offer were, by and large, little slips of cloth.  Thinking of Sylvando thinking of her wearing one made her terribly self-conscious, and then thinking of Sylvando wearing one himself stopped her brain from functioning entirely for a moment.  But Sylvando stepped into the room with a soft sigh, and he glanced at the shopkeeper, who guided him toward the selection that might fit him, and Serena busied herself with the displays on the other side of the room.</p>
<p>She ran her fingers over the cloth, determined to disguise her embarrassment, and she did a double-take at the softness of the fabric.  Maybe it wouldn’t be terrible to find something here to wear tonight: a ridiculous, impractical nightgown to finish off the day of ridiculous, impractical clothing.</p>
<p>She searched until she found something opaque and modest enough that she wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear it in front of Veronica, at least: pale yellow and lined with a bit of soft velvet ribbon around the bust and the hem.  She managed to miss seeing whatever it was that Sylvando found for himself, and he didn’t call her to take a look.</p>
<p>The merchant offered accessories for their daywear, and they settled on lacy collars in complementary colors rather than worrying about the price of jewelry sending them over their vacation budget.  They added matching shoes, ostentatiously befeathered hats, finely made purses, and a pair of wigs.</p>
<p>“Maybe I should try some curls today,” Sylvando mused.  “No time like the present to try something new, eh?”</p>
<p>“Hmm.  Maybe I should, too?”</p>
<p>The lavender curls dangling at the edges of her vision distracted her from Sylvando’s final transformation, and for an instant after she turned to see him with the wig in place, she thought another woman had come into the store while she wasn’t paying attention.  The long ringlets and the concealment of his sideburns made him look rather dramatically different.</p>
<p>He even sounded different when he spoke, a little softer than usual, but with the little lilt in his voice that he got when he was feeling particularly playful.  “Well?  Do I pass muster for half of a fancy lady duo?”</p>
<p>“Absolutely,” Serena said, meaning it.  “How about me?”</p>
<p>“You’re entirely fabulous, darling.  All the boys will ask us to dance, and all the ladies will ask us where we got our dresses.  Except for the boys who ask about the dresses and the ladies who ask us to dance, of course.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” she said, smiling.</p>
<p>They finished their purchases, and with money in hand, the shopkeeper acquired a satisfied smile.  “Enjoy the festival!” she said.</p>
<p>“Festival?” chorused Sylvando and Serena.</p>
<p>“You didn’t know?  There will be food and music and dancing all afternoon.  You should head uptown if you don’t have other business all day.”</p>
<p>“Thank you, I imagine we will!” said Sylvando.</p>
<p>They stepped out into the street, packs in hand.  “I was going to say we should rent rooms at the inn so we could drop off our things, anyway, but If there’s a festival, we’d better hurry before everything’s booked up,” Sylvando said.</p>
<p>“Good thinking.”  They turned back toward the center of town, and Sylvando glanced down at her with a smile and linked his arm through hers.</p>
<p>Serena smiled back, realizing at last that she was dressed with all the glorious frivolity she’d always secretly hoped to try, and that she was doing it in the best possible company.  “Thank you for doing this with me, Sylvando.  I don’t think I would have found the courage on my own.”</p>
<p>“You’re more than welcome, darling.  And thank you for indulging me, as well.  But you might as well call me Sylvia, as long as I’m being a lady,” he said.  Or, rather, she said.  Serena glanced up at Sylvia, trying on the idea, and decided it wouldn’t be hard to think of her that way.</p>
<p>“All right, Sylvia,” Serena said, and she was rewarded with another one of Sylvia’s warming smiles.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>The innkeeper gave them a look. “You do know there’s a festival today.”</p>
<p>“Yes, we heard this morning,” said Sylvia.</p>
<p>“Well, I’ve only got one room left.  A single.  Bit cozier than a pair of fine ladies usually care to take, but it’s yours if you care to pay for it.”</p>
<p>They took it, and cozy was certainly one word for it.  The bed was adequate for one person, and she probably could have slept side by side with Veronica on it, but for her and Sylvia...Serena’s face warmed at the notion.</p>
<p>Sylvia glanced down at her.  “Well, we can look for another place to stay, but worst case, I can always sleep on the floor.  If you don’t mind, that is.”</p>
<p>“Oh, of course.  I mean.”  Serena frowned, uneasy at the idea of simply taking the more comfortable spot for herself.  “We could both sleep on the floor?  No, that’s not...Um, we could flip a coin?”</p>
<p>Sylvia’s eyes crinkled at the corners with her smile.  “Let’s worry about that part later if it comes to it, okay?”</p>
<p>They tried the nearby inns in town, but they were booked full as well.  Sylvia looked off into the distance and said, “There’s one downtown we could try, but I think we’re actually a little bit too fancy today for downtown.  We’d probably offend somebody by trying, if we didn’t get our purses cut.”</p>
<p>Serena was saved the trouble of offering an opinion by the sound of music on the air.  She watched Sylvia’s face brighten, and she said rather redundantly, “Sounds like the festival is starting.  Should we head up that way?”</p>
<p>“Let’s, darling.”</p>
<p>There was already a crowd when they arrived, and Sylvia studied the little crowd of dancers avidly for the length of a couple of songs.  Serena split her attention between the dancers and Sylvia until Sylvia said, “I think I’ve got it.  Do you want to try?” and then Serena regretted her own lack of focus.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve quite got it,” she admitted.</p>
<p>“It’s not too complicated.  Come on, it’s a mirrored dance, so you can just copy what I do in reverse.”</p>
<p>Serena obediently did her best to imitate Sylvia’s movements.  They had to lift up the hems of their skirts while Sylvia talked her through the footwork, and she wasn’t quite sure she had it down correctly in the end, but then, the skirts obscured their feet anyway, so maybe it didn’t really matter if she was a little imprecise.  The hand movements were simpler, although the fact that the dance called for her to press her palm against Sylvia’s was immensely distracting.  So was the detail that their wide skirts pressed against each other when they moved into close quarters to step around each other before they pulled apart again.</p>
<p>“Perfect, but that was half speed,” Sylvia said.  “Do you want to try it faster?”</p>
<p>“All right,” said Serena, and they whirled into motion together, and Sylvia beamed like the sun, and Serena delighted in the joy of her.</p>
<p>Sylvia’s prophecy about their popularity began to come true only a few minutes later.  They paused while the musicians took a short break, and Serena discovered that the pair of them had attracted a little crowd of observers.  “Can we persuade the two of you to grace us with your company?” asked one gentleman with another standing behind him.</p>
<p>Serena found herself drawn into dancing with partner after partner, mostly gentlemen and the occasional lady.  Sylvia found her for an instant between dances and asked, “All right, darling?”  Serena nodded and waved her back into the mix.</p>
<p>After a little while, Serena’s feet grew tired of dancing in the new shoes, and her eyes kept wanting to find Sylvia, who still showed no signs of flagging, so Serena excused herself to find a mug of something to drink.  Small beer, she discovered after accepting it, which was fine.  She had enough of a buzz from the dancing and from simply watching Sylvia.  She didn’t really need to add something more alcoholic into the mix.</p>
<p>Serena leaned against a wall and watched the crowd.  Elegant pairs whirled around with grace and finery, and those drew the most eyes, but there were more simply dressed pairs too, tending to cluster to the side of the square further from the castle.</p>
<p>Partner after partner danced with Sylvia, a parade of sharply dressed gentlemen and ladies wearing almost as fancy and unwieldy outfits as they’d purchased that morning.  Then Sylvia somehow managed to dodge the growing collection of waiting partners in order to pair off with a laughing girl in a plain brown homespun dress, and then a grinning young man in farmer’s overalls, and then suddenly the entire crowd began to lose its division between the bright jewel colors of the rich and the practical earth tones of the poor as anyone began to dance with anyone else.  Serena felt a fresh surge of affection for her friend, because of course if anyone would break down an entire class structure in the name of merriment, it would be Sylvia.</p>
<p>Serena lost track of how long she stood watching until Sylvia came over to find her.  “How’s your drink?” she asked.</p>
<p>“It’s good.  Oh.”  Serena looked into her mug and found it empty.  “It looks like I’m done with it.”</p>
<p>“Wonderful.  That means you can come dance with me some more.”</p>
<p>Serena laughed, left the mug on a table, and let Sylvia take her hand to draw her back out among the dancers.  She spent a number of further songs in Sylvia’s orbit, gradually feeling at home in the dress, because after all, Sylvia made her own dress fit perfectly with her environment and her own presence, and Serena was right here with her engaged in the same pastime.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>By the time the band made way for a new set of musicians, Serena was ready for a break, and even Sylvia agreed.  They found food, and a pair of men leapt to their feet to cede a bench to them.</p>
<p>“Thank you, gentlemen,” Sylvia murmured, and both of them gave her a little bow, and Serena ducked her head to hide her smile.</p>
<p>They sat side by side, and their skirts flowed into each other again, and Serena had to forcibly drag her attention back to the roasted meat and vegetables on her plate.</p>
<p>“They certainly cooked a lot of food.  And it’s all free?” Serena commented.</p>
<p>“From a couple of comments I’ve heard, I don’t think they’ve celebrated this festival for years and years.  I guess old Mordy wasn’t much of a party animal, but our friend Carnie’s making an effort to bring back the missing cheer to his people’s lives.  I have to say, I completely approve!”</p>
<p>“Everyone does look like they’re having a wonderful time, don’t they?  It’s nice just to watch them,” Serena said, and it was true, even as she realized that no one was quite as agreeable to watch as Sylvia.  She glanced sideways and caught Sylvia giving her a warm smile.</p>
<p>“I think so too, darling.  There’s nothing like seeing a sea of smiling faces.  Even when it’s not my own doing.”</p>
<p>“I rather think you helped, Sylvia,” Serena said, earning another dose of that smile.  She smiled back and took a moment to be glad of Sylvia’s presence.  Then, a question popped into her head.  “Is this how you expected today to go when we set out for the city this morning?”</p>
<p>“Hmm.  Fancy dresses and a festival?  Not precisely.  A pleasant day with a friend?  Certainly.”</p>
<p>“Why did you volunteer to join me here in the first place?  I would have thought you’d pick the beach.”</p>
<p>“Well.  I saw you putting on a brave face for Veronica when she wanted to go off and do her own thing, and then after that...well, I didn’t like the thought of you being lonely.”  Sylvia’s gentle voice took on a warmer, playful tone as she added, “Besides, I’ve never gotten the pleasure of your company all to myself, before, so I thought I’d better jump on the chance.”</p>
<p>“Oh.”  The last statement erased Serena’s momentary worry of being a burden and instead just left her feeling another pulse of warmth toward Sylvia.  “Well, I’m quite happy you did decide to come with me.  It’s been a wonderful day already.”</p>
<p>“It has, hasn’t it?”</p>
<p>They looked up as a gentleman approached with a flower in hand.  He bowed and held it out.  “My lady Sylvia, please accept a token of my admiration.”</p>
<p>“Oh, aren’t you sweet, darling?  But I’m afraid I can’t accept until you bring one for my friend as well.”</p>
<p>“Of course!  How inexcusably rude of me.  Please, wait here.  I will be back in a moment!”</p>
<p>Serena raised her eyebrows.  “Sylv, you didn’t have to do that.”</p>
<p>“Ah, but I wanted to.  Firstly, because this way, the poor fellow won’t get his hopes up too high that I’m a rich lady come to settle from a far off country villa, seeking a husband and inclined to fall for the first handsome face that comes around offering pretty gifts and pretty words.”  Sylvia delivered this in a soft tone with her head tilted and her hands clasped to her chest like a teenaged girl reciting a tale of romance.  Then she straightened up and turned an affectionate smile back on Serena.  “Secondly, you’re more than deserving of your own flowers, and he’s a fool not to see that.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” said Serena, suddenly flustered.</p>
<p>The gentleman reappeared, saving her from needing the wit to reply.  He held out the red rose toward Sylvia and a yellow one toward Serena.</p>
<p>“Wonderful.  Thank you, darling,” said Sylvia, and she reached across and took the yellow one for herself.</p>
<p>The gentleman smiled ruefully, nodded, and placed the red rose in Serena’s hand.  “Enjoy your afternoon, ladies,” he said and withdrew.</p>
<p>Serena wondered if she’d missed something, but perhaps Sylvia judged that the red would clash with the green of her dress, and she only watched as Sylvia reached up and tucked the yellow rose into the band of her hat next to the feathers.  “There we go.  Flower secured, and hands free.  Useful thing, a hat.  Would you like the same for yours?”</p>
<p>Serena eyed Sylvia’s hat, all the more ostentatious for the addition of another ingredient, but with Sylvia’s confident bearing, it suited her.  Of course it did.  Everything did.  Well, why not?  “Sure.  Thank you.”</p>
<p>Sylvia nodded and lifted the red rose out of her view, barely disturbing the hat from where it sat on Serena’s head as she gently affixed it.  “There we go.  You’re gorgeous, darling.”</p>
<p>Serena laughed, tempted to believe Sylvia meant more than an idle, friendly encouragement by it, but she’d once heard Sylvando give the same compliment to a woman so elderly that her wrinkles had wrinkles, so it was hard to think so.  “Thank you, Sylvia.  So are you,” Serena said, and that, she certainly meant.</p>
<p>After only a minute more, a second gentleman approached, carrying another pair of flowers.  This time, they were matching white carnations.  “Good afternoon, ladies.  May I offer this token of my esteem?”</p>
<p>Sylvia added one to Serena’s hat, then bent and let Serena do the same for hers, and then there was another pair of gentlemen to add two more flowers for each of their hats.  Their collections grew until they both broke into laughter at having to weave the masses of flowers into a more carefully engineered configuration because they couldn’t fit any more stems into their hat bands.</p>
<p>Serena looked up when they finished this process to discover that most of the women in the crowd were sporting flowers in their own hats, and in fact, there were rather more hats than she’d quite remembered seeing at the beginning of the day.  “I didn’t realize flowers in hats was a tradition here.  Is this another thing someone mentioned to you, or did you already know about it?”</p>
<p>“Oh, no.  I just made it up.  It sure looks like it might be a new tradition now, though, doesn’t it?”  Sylvia curled a hand in front of her mouth to hide a grin, and Serena laughed.</p>
<p>Something caught Sylvia’s eye, and she suddenly sat forward and craned her neck.  “Oh!  That’s Iolite!”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Iolite the Bard.  He tells the most fascinating stories, and it’s all in a rhyming format.  Would you care to go listen?”</p>
<p>So they moved up to listen.  Sylvia steered them toward one side of the gathering crowd, explaining, “The downside of a lovely, large hat is that it’s all anyone behind us can see.  At least, when you’re as tall as I am.”  She placed a light hand between Serena’s shoulders to guide her forward so that Sylvia stood directly behind her, and Serena realized that this made a smaller silhouette of both of them.</p>
<p>She glanced around, slightly self-conscious, and there wasn’t anyone obviously bothered over their hats, but she spotted a couple of young girls a short distance away, standing on their tiptoes to try to see around the people in front of them, and she beckoned them up to stand in front of herself.  They brightened and complied.  Serena felt a light squeeze on her shoulder, and she glanced down in time to see Sylvia’s hand resting there for a brief moment, and she felt both flustered and happy at the gesture of Sylvia's approval.</p>
<p>The bard’s stories doubled as a history lesson of Heliodor’s ancient royal lineage, made interesting by the rhyming scheme, the soft background music of the bard’s lute, a couple of love stories, and some gently humorous anecdotes surrounding some of the old princes in their youth.  Serena turned around while the bard stopped to retune his instrument, and she found Sylvia watching with a satisfied expression.</p>
<p>“Have you heard him perform, before, Sylvia?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yes.  I used to see him a lot when we kept the same company.  It looks like he took my advice to heart, and he did a good job bringing in the little personal stories.  I told him those were the parts that would keep his audience awake, if he was really passionate about teaching ancient history.  It’s always fun to think about our ancestors living their lives just like us, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>Serena nodded, thinking of Serenica.  Then, as if Serena had invoked her own ancestor aloud, Iolite launched into another story, this time of the ancient Luminary and his companions.</p>
<p>The story only deviated a little bit from the true version of events, or anyway, the version they told in Arboria, written down by Serenica herself.  There was a bit more focus on the lands surrounding what was now Heliodor, which Serena supposed made sense, given the venue.  There was, of course, mention of the famous love story between Serenica and Erdwin.</p>
<p>Serena smiled wryly, thinking of the old, innocent promise she and Veronica had made at age six: that they would share the new Luminary between them when they grew up and fell in love like in the stories.  After Veronica’s age affliction, the two of them neatly bracketed the Luminary’s age with rather too much distance on either side, even if the boy wasn’t clearly head over heels for Erik, anyway.  No star-crossed romance this time around.</p>
<p>Sylvia interrupted her musings after the performance and asked her, “Do you ever think that there’s a little too much focus on Erdwin and not enough on his companions in these stories?”</p>
<p>“Oh.  Now that you mention it, that did strike me as odd, but really, it’s just because in Arboria, all the stories come from Serenica’s point of view, so she’s got a pretty strong presence in everything.”  Then she raised her eyebrows.  “Are you saying we ought to make sure that all of us get into whatever stories they make about the next legendary Luminary?”</p>
<p>“Oh!”  Sylvia pressed a hand to her cheek.  “You won’t believe me, but I honestly wasn’t even thinking about our Luminary when I said that.  I was just thinking that there aren’t quite enough heroic ballads about ladies, even though you and I both know very well that there are in fact heroic ladies to be found.”</p>
<p>Serena laughed.  “All right, I’ll believe you.  But it’s true that they ought to make a song about you, at least.  The performer who dances through any town and sweeps away all of the sadness.”</p>
<p>Sylvia gave her a startled look, then smiled.  “Ay.  Maybe I should hire you to do it, Serena Silver-tongue.”</p>
<p>Faintly embarrassed, Serena changed the subject.  “Are you going to say hello to your friend?”</p>
<p>“I should.”</p>
<p>So they approached the bard as he packed up his lute.</p>
<p>“Iolite, darling, hello!”</p>
<p>The bard looked up and broke into a broad grin.  “Sylvia?  What a delightful surprise.  It’s been years.”</p>
<p>“Too long, darling.  I see you’ve become the famous, beloved bard you always hoped to be.”</p>
<p>“I like to think so.  Looks like you’ve done well enough for yourself, too,” he said, looking Sylvia up and down.  “And who’s your ladyfriend?”</p>
<p>“This is Serena.  She’s been by my side for, oh, more than half a year, now, no?”</p>
<p>Sylvia gave her a peculiar expression, and Serena blinked, still lagging behind the conversation, stuck on the sudden realization that Sylvia must have dressed up like this before, must have used this name before, had in fact made friends while calling herself Sylvia.</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s right.  It’s nice to meet you,” Serena managed through reflexive politeness, and Iolite took her hand and bowed over it without actually kissing it.</p>
<p>“A pleasure, my lady.  You are a most fortunate woman,” he said, and Serena belatedly realized she might have just confirmed to him that she was in a romantic relationship with Sylvia, but before she could figure out anything to do about that, he was already turning back to Sylvia.  “I’m due to give a rather more mature-minded performance in the gardens over thereabouts in a little while, if you fancy something different.”</p>
<p>“Thank you.  Maybe we’ll see you there,” said Sylvia with a smile and a wave, and then she linked her arm through Serena’s and drew her away.</p>
<p>Serena began to wonder if they were running away when Sylvia tugged her behind a hedgerow and let out a sigh.  “I’m sorry about that, Serena.  I had just sort of forgotten until we started speaking that he was always one of the most persistent suitors, and also one of the most unfortunately clueless.  He liked to spend a lot of time with Sylvia, but he could hardly stand Sylvando, as he eventually told Sylvia at length, and I don’t think he’s quite subtle enough to have done so out of spite.  I think he just truly never figured out that we were the same person.”</p>
<p>“Oh, no.  I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“It’s all right.  He’s okay as a colleague, and I do admire his work.  It’s just easier to deal with him if he thinks I’m taken.  I am sorry I let him think so without asking you first, though.  I’ll speak to him again and undo the ruse if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>“No, that’s all right.  Would…”  Serena bit her tongue to interrupt an offer to hold Sylvia’s hand for the sake of authenticity.  That definitely wasn’t coming from a place of mature, professional respect.  She edited her question to continue, “Did you want to go to his other showing?”</p>
<p>“Well, I would, as a professional courtesy if not for the sake of the slightly awkward old friendship, and after all, it’s never quite ideal to make an enemy of a bard.  But I am enjoying your company, and I don’t want to drag you to it if it’s not to your taste.  It’s likely to be, ah, a good deal of rather crude humor, I’m guessing.”</p>
<p>“That’s all right,” Serena said, feeling adventurous and brave and more than willing to accommodate anything Sylvia wanted to do.  “We might as well stop by for a bit. Unless you want an excuse not to go.”</p>
<p>Sylvando studied her face, then nodded.  “Okay.  Let’s go.  Just tug on my sleeve if you want to leave, though, okay?”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>The sun was already setting when they ventured into the gardens to find a smaller gathering of people forming a half-circle around the bard.  Some sat on blankets on the ground, but Serena didn’t suggest sitting down, conscious of their finery and not wanting to get it dirty.  Sylvia pulled her once again to the side of the gathering where they wouldn’t block anyone else.</p>
<p>Serena quickly discovered that the humor of the night was much more explicit and rather darker than she had anticipated, mixing descriptions of improbably large body parts with what must have been intended as comic violence in limerick form.  Serena shifted uneasily, not really wanting to be the reason they left early, but she saw plenty of violence during their ordinary travels, and she found it too easy to imagine some of it happening to people she knew and cared about.  Some of it had, before she’d used her healing magic to repair it.</p>
<p>She snuck a glance at Sylvia and found her watching the bard with narrowed eyes and a faint smile, an expression Serena had only caught Sylvando wearing once or twice in front of a monologuing villain.  Then she heard Serenica’s name, and her attention went back to the bard.</p>
<p>“While Serenica’s known in the light / Did you hear what she’s like in the night? / For those in the know / she puts on a show / and reveals her great appetite.”</p>
<p>Serena brought a hand to cover her mouth, less than thrilled to stand around and listen to this manner of speculation about her own ancestor, and only half able to believe that someone would disrespect a sainted figure of legend in such a way.</p>
<p>“They say Erdwin respected her wits / But he kept her because—”</p>
<p>Serena jumped as something covered her ears and muffled the sound.  Then she realized Sylvia had placed her hands over Serena’s ears and was now stepping to her side and draping an arm around her shoulders to turn her toward the exit.  Serena smiled for the first time since entering the garden, amused at last by Sylvia’s solution to her discomfort.  She let herself be steered away from the gathering.</p>
<p>Sylvia finally removed her hands when they were a little distance away, and she rested her fingertips briefly on Serena’s shoulder before she withdrew.  “I’m sorry, darling.  I didn’t really expect...well.  He’s gotten rather darker than I recall, and I didn’t mean to bring you somewhere to listen to people suggesting your holy sage would have done anything less than virtuous.”</p>
<p>“Well, it’s not like she was, um.”  Serena waved a hand vaguely.  “She never married Erdwin, but she gave birth to his child after he died.  That’s not a secret, but...”  She sighed, entirely aware of how the rest of the interrupted line must have gone.  “At least he might have led with some of Erdwin’s supposed qualities.”</p>
<p>“A fair request.”  Sylvia studied her face.  </p>
<p>“It does hit a little too close to home.  You know, our whole life, people have always compared Veronica and myself to Serenica, and that rather awkwardly extended to our love lives, too.  Only I kept hearing things like, ‘Erdwin was a lucky man, if Serenica was anything like you,’ and nobody ever seemed to want to dwell on what Serenica might have gotten out of their arrangement.”</p>
<p>She suddenly realized she was speaking as casually as she might to Veronica, and she found Sylvia looking at her with wide eyes, and Serena felt suddenly more than a little self-conscious.  But then Sylvia’s lips quirked, and she said, “A tragic failure of the imagination, indeed,” and Serena decided that maybe her next vacation day needn’t involve a plea to Krystalinda to turn her into a frog for the next decade.</p>
<p>“Anyway, thanks for leaving early with me,” Serena said.</p>
<p>“Of course, darling.  I’m sorry to drag you into such unpleasantness on your vacation day.”</p>
<p>“It’s all right.  Neither of us knew what we were getting into,” Serena said.  Sylvia still looked dejected, so Serena slipped an arm through hers, the way they’d been walking together all day, and she tugged her back toward the crowd.  “Come on, let’s go check if they’ve put out any sort of desserts.”</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>There were desserts: miniature baked goods and warm cider.  They ate by the light of the bonfire in the middle of the crowd, and Serena caught Sylvia slipping an extra tiny cream tart onto Serena’s plate.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong with it?” Serena asked, half-teasing.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong with it is that I was about to eat it without half as much enjoyment as I imagine you are going to get out of it.  You do like the berry ones, no?”</p>
<p>“They are my favorite,” Serena admitted with a laugh, and she obediently let Sylvia watch her eat it.</p>
<p>They drifted around the edges of the gathering, where there were now lamplit market stalls and carnival games set up, perhaps intended as a quieter offering than the music and dancing of the afternoon.  Sylvia pulled her into a tent full of jewelry.</p>
<p>“I thought jewels were out of budget for the day?” Serena said quietly.</p>
<p>“Ah, but this is costume glass, isn’t it?”  Sylvia looked to the merchant, who nodded cautiously.  “It’s after dark, and we’ve made our point about being fabulous, fashionable ladies, so we might as well go wild with whatever we like the looks of.  No one’s going to worry about whether we’re wearing real diamonds or not.”</p>
<p>So they lightened their purses over an excessive quantity of cheap jewelry and walked out sparkling and laughing.  When they stopped at a ring toss game, Serena felt even clumsier than usual, off-balance from the weight of six necklaces and a dozen bracelets, and one of the bracelets flew off of her wrist with her throw.</p>
<p>“Whoops!  Got it,” Sylvia said, snatching the offending jewelry out of the air before it hit the ground, somehow as dexterous as ever despite her own multitude of accessories.  She caught Serena’s hand and lifted it up to slide the bracelet back on, and Serena forgot where they were for a moment, completely distracted by the contact of Sylvia’s hands against hers.  Then Sylvia gave her another smile and turned to the next stall, and Serena shook herself and followed.</p>
<p>They only tried a few attempts at any one game before Sylvia moved them along to the next, and despite Sylvia’s obvious dexterity, neither of them won any of the prizes.  Serena shrugged, not really expecting to get appreciably better with practice, herself, and not terribly concerned with winning in any case.  They came to the end of the stalls, and Sylvia turned to her.</p>
<p>“Anything else you wanted to do here tonight, darling?”</p>
<p>“I’m pretty well content, myself.  What about you?  I’m a bit surprised you didn’t win any of the games,” she said, teasing Sylvia just a little.</p>
<p>“Ah.  They’re all rigged, you know.  I know one or two of the tricks, but I don’t really like to spoil the game behind the game.  Most of the players know they’re not so likely to win, and the folks running the show sometimes make a point of noticing when someone really needs a win, and they can make it happen.”</p>
<p>“Oh, I see.  Well, yes, I suppose we aren’t terribly down on our luck today, are we?” Serena said, waving a bejewelled arm with a grin.</p>
<p>“Exactly right.  We’ll leave the luck for someone who needs it.”</p>
<p>Serena nodded, then said, “Well, much as I hate to admit it, the new shoes are starting to wear out my feet, so I wouldn’t mind taking them off.”  </p>
<p>“Okay.  Let’s head back, then, shall we?”</p>
<p>Serena fell quiet on the way, failing to not think about the fact of only one room, only one bed.</p>
<p><br/>
</p><hr/>
<p><br/>
</p>
<p>Sylvia sat down on the bed and lifted a foot.  “I always think the best part of getting new shoes is wearing them outside for the first time, but the second best part is taking them off again.  Ah, what a relief!” </p>
<p>Serena laughed, and hesitantly sat down on the bed as well in order to attend to her own footwear.</p>
<p>“Serena.”  Sylvia’s serious tone made her look up.  “I had a very, very nice time today.  Thank you very much for letting me tag along with you.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Sylv, I should be thanking you instead.  I’m certain my day was a hundred times better than it would have been without you.”</p>
<p>Sylvia smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement.  “Well, I guess we can both be grateful at each other, then, eh?”  </p>
<p>“I guess so,” Serena said, smiling back.</p>
<p>Sylvia looked away and gestured at the room.  “Well, we never did find another room.  What are you comfortable with?  Will it bother you if I put on my traveling clothes and sleep on the floor in here?”</p>
<p>“No.  I mean, yes, sort of.  I mean, not that, well.  I don’t like the idea of letting you sleep on the floor.  While I’m on the bed, I mean.  I mean, I’d feel rather awful.  Maybe we could both fit on the bed?  Anyway, you bought something to sleep in, so if that’s more comfortable, maybe you should wear that?”</p>
<p>Serena shut her mouth and dwelt on the fact that she’d somehow ended her nervous monologue after proposing most of the things she secretly wanted without actually explaining why she wanted them, or how appealing the prospect really was.  She looked away, feeling like she’d crossed some invisible line.  But all of it was entirely reasonable if they were simply two lady friends sharing a room, and she told herself she could make it appropriate after all by simply adjusting her mindset to a properly respectful perspective.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Sylvia said after a moment.  “We can try that and see if it’s going to work.  Just let me know if you have any second thoughts about it, please.”</p>
<p>“All right.”</p>
<p>“Well, first things first, nobody wants to sleep on a head full of wig pins.  Shall I give you a hand?  I think I still have the trick of it.”</p>
<p>True to her word, Sylvia deftly and painlessly detached Serena’s wig from her head, then turned to her own costume.  Sylvia took off her own wig with just as much casual skill.</p>
<p>“Shall I take that for you, Sylvia?  Ah...Should I still be calling you Sylvia?  Or did you want to go back to Sylvando already?” Serena asked, suddenly uncertain as the costume of the day was dismantled and the facial hair came back into view.</p>
<p>“Hmm.  I suppose I’m feeling like a bit of both, just now.  Maybe just Sylv?”</p>
<p>“All right, Sylv.”  That fit, and Serena made another little mental adjustment as she took the wig from Sylv.  They smiled at her and smoothed out their hair, then reached behind their back to the laces on their dress.</p>
<p>“Hm.  I don’t know about you, but she really tied me in good this morning.  Would you mind getting me started, darling?” Sylv said, showing their back to Serena, along with the shopkeeper’s handiwork on the laces.</p>
<p>“Ah, of course,” Serena said, and she hesitantly raised her fingers to the knot at the top.  “Hmm.  I wonder what she has against bows.  This might take a minute,” she muttered, and she worked at the knot with her fingernails, and she pretended to herself that she wasn’t taking the opportunity to study the curve of Sylv’s neck, and that she wasn’t noticing the soft floral scent of their hair.</p>
<p>She finally got the knot loose, and she tugged apart the top bit of lacing, and for an instant a notion flashed through her mind’s eye of herself pulling the fabric farther apart, sliding her hands underneath and down Sylv’s back, leaning in to press her lips to Sylv’s shoulder…</p>
<p>Serena jerked her hands away and fled to the opposite side of the room.  “Should be good, now, right?” Serena said, studiously divesting herself of the last of her own jewelry.</p>
<p>“Yes, thank you.”  A moment of silence, then, “Do you need a hand with your own laces, darling?”</p>
<p>“Umm.  Yes, please?”</p>
<p>She’d done so well all day, regarding Sylv as simply a friend, albeit an attractive one, but here at the end of the night, after discovering more and more layers of Sylv and being delighted with each one, and with the lone bed staring her down, Serena found her imagination harder and harder to keep on its leash, and she closed her eyes and imagined the brush of Sylv’s fingers developing into more than the accident it was.  Perhaps those fingers would move up and stroke her neck, or down and…</p>
<p>“There we go.  Okay, I’m going to turn around and change.  Is the nightgown still okay?  It’s, well, maybe you’d better take a look at it before you say yes or no.”</p>
<p>Serena turned around and saw the length of the nightgown, which was not actually very long at all, perhaps mid-thigh length, and she said, “Sure, that’s fine.”  It probably wasn’t.  In fact, she was absolutely crossing a line, now, but she was too deep into the lie, and she was having trouble figuring out how to possibly come clean without destroying all Sylv’s respect for her forever.</p>
<p>She turned away and listened to the rustle of cloth.  Then she forced herself into motion as a distraction, stripping off her own dress and changing into her own new nightgown without stopping to consider if that would compound the issue.</p>
<p>“Is it okay if I turn around?” Sylv asked.</p>
<p>Serena looked down at herself and gave a small sigh.  What she’d imagined as nearly a serviceable sundress seemed like wispy lingerie given the context of a secret attraction and close quarters, but she’d thoroughly lost track of what would be an appropriate boundary to suggest.  Maybe she’d just pretend that Sylv was Veronica.  “Sure.”</p>
<p>“All right.”  A moment of silence, during which Serena stared at the wall and imagined Sylv inspecting her nightgown, then reminded herself that it was unlikely to mean anything more than a fashion assessment even if they were doing so.  Then Sylv spoke again.  “I guess there’s nothing left but to go to bed, eh?  Are you sure you don’t want to take it yourself?  I really don’t mind the floor if you have second thoughts.”</p>
<p>Some odd reserve in their voice caught Serena’s attention.  She turned around to look at their face, and there was a smile, but there was something missing.  The unrestrained delight that she’d kept seeing all day was replaced with something that might have been sadness.</p>
<p>The most awful notion occurred to her, that she might be hurting Sylv by letting them think that she didn’t trust them, or that she actually disapproved of their choice of name or apparel, and for a moment all she felt was the overwhelming desire to squash any such unhappiness.</p>
<p>“No, of course not, Sylv,” she said, smiling and trying to project reassurance their way.  “It’s entirely fine.”</p>
<p>“Okay, honey.  I’ll go in first, then, and see how much room I can make for you, huh?”  Evidently convinced, Sylv gave her a more cheerful smile and crossed over to the bed.  They turned their back on Serena, freeing her from their eye contact and giving her a view of their shoulders, the low back of the garment, the way the skirt hugged their hips and fell over their thighs, the contrast between the firm muscle of their body and the delicate lace trim.</p>
<p>Serena felt distantly aware of her own escalating failure to maintain the professional respect she kept touting to herself, but she didn’t look away as Sylv climbed into the bed.  Their habitual grace somehow turned the maneuver into an act of dance or acrobatics as they crossed the mattress, turned, and settled with their back to the wall.  They pulled the blanket up to their waist and then held the corner pulled back, looking at Serena with an inviting smile.</p>
<p>Serena took three slow steps up to the edge of the bed, toward Sylv lying there with one hand tucked under their chin, the other raised as though they might wait for Serena to lie down so as to pull the blanket over her. Suddenly, Serena’s mind ran off without her from there, continuing on to imagine Sylv leaving their arm around her as the blanket settled, pulling her up against them, allowing her to curl a hand around their back, letting her run her hand down their side to feel the soft silk over the strength of their body, and—</p>
<p>She sucked in a breath and tore her gaze away, too afraid to meet Sylv’s eyes, so she stared at the wall above them instead.  “Actually, I’m going to just sleep on the floor.  I’ll be fine.”  She cast her eyes down, but still glimpsed Sylv’s face for just long enough to catch the hurt expression there, and she winced as she dropped down below the edge of the bed to lie down on the floor, desperately wishing she might go back in time and find some other way to approach the entire situation.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry.  I’ve made you uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“I’ll just change back into my traveling clothes.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“And you take the bed.”</p>
<p>“No, Sylv.”</p>
<p>“Please don’t ask me to leave a lady sleeping on the floor.”</p>
<p>“Then you shouldn’t be on the floor.  I’m the problem, here, not you.”</p>
<p>“You’re not a problem, Serena.  You have every right to ask for any boundary you need.”</p>
<p>“That’s not the problem.  You’re the one who needs to be putting up boundaries against me.  I’m being a terrible person and I deserve to sleep on the floor.”</p>
<p>Sylv finally took more than an instant to respond.  “How can you possibly believe that you are a terrible person, Serena?”</p>
<p>“Because!” Serena exclaimed, abruptly unable to keep her secret thoughts to herself.  “I can’t keep my eyes off you, and I keep having the most inappropriate thoughts, even though I know I’m not your type and I should just get over it.  Sorry.  I’m sorry.  I thought I could be reasonable about this, but it turns out that when my kind, charming, gorgeous friend invites me into a bed with them after spending a perfect day together, I can’t pull it off. I’m going to imagine it leading to more than friendship even if we just lay there, and you don’t deserve that kind of nonsense.  I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>She stared at the ceiling in the ensuing silence, dreading Sylv’s reply and half-wishing for a mysterious burst of wild teleportation magic to somehow materialize and strand her alone in the wilderness.</p>
<p>Sylv’s face popped into her field of view, hanging over the edge of the bed and showing a hint of a smile.  “Who told you that you aren’t my type?”  They drew out the words, and the playful tone curled back through their voice.</p>
<p>“You, what?  You and Jade, you were talking about Hendrik that one night.  Isn’t Hendrik your type?” Serena stammered.</p>
<p>Sylv tilted their head.  “Hendrik’s pretty enough, and he’s a nice boy, but I don’t think he’d go dress shopping with me, and it’s an awful lot of work to get him to dance while he’s sober.”</p>
<p>“But.  Somebody like Hendrik?”</p>
<p>“Serena, I don’t think I have a type, but if I do, I’m sure it has room for a determined healer on her way to save the world.  Particularly one with a delightful personality, a lovely face, and a kind heart.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” Serena managed, feeling her head spinning with the startling flattery.  With the opening of a possibility.</p>
<p>Sylv inched forward and rested their elbow on the edge of the bed in order to prop up their face with their hand, bringing their shoulders and the lace of the nightgown back into sight.</p>
<p>“You know, it’s been a long time since I’ve dressed up so much.  You were right that it’s not very practical gear for adventure, or acrobatics, either.  And it’s always a teensy bit nerve-wracking to show such a different side of myself to a dear friend, after I’ve had fellows like Iolite respond so differently to one than another.  I took a little chance this morning, and not only did you make me feel welcome in every mode all day long, but now you’re telling me you find me irresistibly attractive, here at the end of a perfect day?  Darling woman, if you’re leaving me in charge of the bed, then I’m telling you that you’re welcome in it, with or without looking.  Or thinking.  Or anything else, if you’re so inclined.”</p>
<p>Sylv’s sincere expression turned mischievous with that last part, and they moved like a dragon rolling into a cave of treasure, sinuous and confident and gorgeous as they disappeared back over the edge of the bed.  Their voice floated down to add, “Of course, it’s your choice.  You may still banish me to the floor instead if you need time to think it over, but I’ll confess that I’ll feel rather more cheerful about it knowing this is the reason why.”</p>
<p>Serena took a deep breath while her mortification drained away into something else.  An experimental notion of joy.  She slowly climbed to her feet, turned, and soaked in the sight of Sylv.</p>
<p>This time they were draped unapologetically past the middle of the bed, relaxed, one strap of the nightgown slightly askew.  They watched her look them over, and when she returned her gaze to their face, she found them smiling, welcoming her attention.  The expression pulled at her like a magnet.</p>
<p>Serena glanced down for just long enough to scout her landing, then climbed up onto the bed.  She settled herself close enough to feel the heat of Sylv’s body, but she held herself apart for a moment longer, savoring the thrill of anticipation.</p>
<p>She said aloud, “Do you think, when they tell our legend, maybe there could be a famous love story in it?”</p>
<p>“Mm.  Add a little human interest?  I completely approve.  Especially if it’s based on a true story.”</p>
<p>“We should find a different bard to tell it, though.  One with enough wit to understand that every part of you is wonderful.”</p>
<p>“Mm.  You didn’t warn me that you were going to be saying more nice things while we’re sharing a bed.  If you wanted to keep this in the realm of looking and thinking, perhaps you’d be kinder to send me to the floor after all.”</p>
<p>“No.  I like you right where you are,” Serena said, and when she finally reached out her hands to touch them, she decided she’d been wrong about one more thing.  It wasn’t the end of a perfect day.  It was only the beginning.</p>
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